May 31, 2008

World No Tobacco Day

Today is "World No Tobacco Day"!

Created in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes, it concentrates on Tobacco-free Youth this year, calling for a total ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products and creating 100% smoke-free environments.

Tobacco is the single most preventable cause of death in the world, the only legal consumer product that can harm everyone exposed to it - and it kills up to half of those who use it as intended.

This year, tobacco will kill more than five million people - more than tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria combined.